kate somerville goat milk cleanser

The Empties | Early Spring

Mark my words, I know that it’s been well over a month since spring officially started. However, until somewhat recently it’s been blizzard-ing, so forgive me if I consider it still pretty early(ish) in the spring season. I used to worry these posts were boring to read, as I rarely used to finish up much of anything and there was little variety of what I did finish up, always trying out new things, rather than finishing what I had on the go. However, in the last couple of years, I have become a more savvy and restrained shopper, buying less and finishing more:

Paula’s Choice Omega+ Complex Cleansing Balm ($28 US | 103 mL)

After disliking the Paula’s Choice Perfect Cleansing Oil, I’m happy to report that I loved this balm cleanser for nourishing the skin and breaking down makeup and sunscreen. It broke down waterproof eyeliner, mascara and tenacious face products easily enough — but it wasn’t an annihilator in the way that some of these super-oily balms are — with easy-to-use tube packaging and nourishing non-irritating ingredients. It’s fragrance free, doesn’t contain any irritants and actually features lots of fatty acids and some nourishing plant oils to offset any sort of barrier disruption while cleansing. It doesn’t leave a film or anything afterwards. I would buy again, with some sort of sale.

Kate Somerville Goat Milk Moisturizing Cleanser ($57 CDN | 120 mL)

This is my expensive treatment cleanser of choice and I went onto another back-up that I purchased on sale shortly, after emptying the tube. It’s an oil-rich cream cleanser that removes makeup, soothes the skin without being drying in the slightest. It has a subtle fragrance that doesn’t bother my skin because it doesn’t come from essential oils and is enriched with honey, lactic acid and goat’s milk, along with the grapeseed oil, avocado oil and coconut oil. My favourite part is that my skin is left calmer and moisturized after rinsing.

Kate Somerville Delikate Soothing Cleanser ($57 CDN | 120 mL)

This was a fine gentle fragrance-free milk cleanser but was nowhere near special enough to justify the cost for me. It wasn’t irritating or drying whatsoever and removed easily but it didn’t deliver long-lasting soothing or hydration like the former. It contains fatty acids, ceramides, cholesterol, aloe and miscellaneous other soothing and barrier-repairing ingredients. It kind of reminded me of Cerave’s cleansers with slightly less of a tendency to sting on an impaired barrier. 

Drunk Elephant Protini Powerpeptide Resurfacing Serum ($108 CDN | 30 mL)

Last year, I picked up a half-sized sample of this lactic-acid based serum and I’ve happily been using it around 3-4 times per week as a chemical exfoliant and serum in one. It contains 10% lactic acid which helps with overall clarity, brightness and smooths texture, along with amino acids and peptides for hydration and barrier-reinforcement. It’s lighter in texture but contains squalane and some nice rich plant oils along with the myriad of humectants it has. I repurchased a full-size; it’s expensive but lasts a while and is special.

Cosrx Advanced Snail Radiance Dual Essence ($40.99 CDN | 80 mL)

I did love using this plumping brightening humectant serum, however, going for the niacinamide-enriched version of the essence was completely unnecessary for me, as I have multiple other niacinamide-rich brightening serums on the go. I do love me some niacinamide… This is a dual chamber version of their cult favourite fragrance-free essence, with snail secretion in the one chamber and 5% niacinamide in the other. It also contained panthenol, medowfoam seed oil, sunflower seed oil, allantoin, macadamia oil, sodium hyaluronate and argan oil. I found my skin looked bouncy, plumped and soothed while using this serum but I sometimes had to watch to make sure I wasn’t overdoing it on the niacinamide. I will be repurchasing the original version of the essence that is even more economical.

Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Firming Moisturizer ($89 CDN | 50 mL)

I ended up trying this pricy moisturizer because it was sold in the set with the serum, and while I ended up liking it, I’m really not sure it’s special enough for the price for me. It has a lovely comforting plumping texture that’s moisturizing and hydrating without feeling occlusive in the slightest. I enjoyed the myriad of peptides and amino acids it contains to help support the skin barrier and help to bind moisture into the skin and the plumping cushion-y texture, but I didn’t find it concentrated enough or special enough to warrant repurchasing at this price. I did enjoy the airless pump packaging and the lack of fragrance or other irritants.

Kate Somerville Delikate Recovery Cream ($99 CDN | 50 mL)

This is another pricy moisturizer I finished, but on the other hand, it’s special enough to warrant repurchasing, especially when we’re lucky enough to be able to find it on significant sale. It’s a whipped balm that sinks into the skin without stinging in the slightest, soothing the skin and supporting the skin’s barrier — especially a damaged one, like mine certainly tends to be. The texture spreads really far, only requiring a little bit of product, even on my drier and tighter skin, and it offers moisture, comfort and repair without leaving a shiny finish. It features shea butter, ceramides, honey, peptides, plant oils and other soothing ingredients. It’s also beautiful under makeup, helping to minimize the appearance of dry patches and any sort of texture. It also doubles as a wonderful eye cream for those with a sensitive eye area and is wonderful for calming the skin after an allergic reaction. It’s been that kind of spring thus far.

Cosrx Advanced Snail Peptide Eye Cream ($32.57 CDN | 25 mL)

I loved this gentle, fragrance-free eye cream for my delicate and sensitive eye area so much so that I went through it more quickly than I could have, occasionally using on my face in addition to the eye area. I will be repurchasing for sure. It contains snail mucin, niacinamide, sunflower seed oil, sodium hyaluronate and a few peptides. It’s good for plumping up and hydrating the eye area without irritation and wears great under makeup — and I have dry sensitive under eyes that tend to get eczema and allergy-induced irritation.

Sunday Riley Juno Antioxidant + Superfood Face Oil ($95 CDN | 35 mL)

This was one of the first good essential-oil-free oil blends on the market and it remains to be a longtime favourite of mine. Sunday Riley used ‘superfood’ in its actual meaning — as in harvested from fruits and cold-pressed with a variety of antioxidants — and not as a wellness culture bullshit hype-word, which I appreciate. I’ve long-term appreciated the omega rich blend of oils for soothing, antioxidant protection, locking in moisture and helping to eradicate dry patches. I do not tolerate essential oils well so I’ve always appreciated that this was blended without, without skimping on the benefits of these fruit oils. I’d buy again, especially if I found it on for another deal but I might explore more affordable options, even though the bottle does last for ages. I quite like smelling like a salad dressing, which is precisely the scent the natural oils have without essential oils in the mix.

Paula’s Choice Resist Super-Light Daily Wrinkle Defense SPF 30 ($35 US | 60 mL)

I was really slacking on the sunscreen front over the winter, mainly due to laziness. Once I got myself in gear this season, I found myself finishing a tube of the semi-matte finish tinted sunscreen that I had on the go. Because of the slightly mattifying semi-matte finish of the sunscreen, I tend to need to moisturizer underneath. However, the slightly blurring and smoothing finish coupled with the sheer light beige tint, is really flattering on naked skin. I have a backup and I’ll happily enjoy using as it gets hot and humid over the warmer months. It contains a bunch of antioxidants as well, which I enjoy seeing in a sunscreen.

Cerave Moisturizing Cream ($27.99 CDN | 539 mL)

This cream is probably the closest thing I’ve found to an eczema cure with consistent use. It helps to keep the dry and itchy skin at bay that I scratch and turn into a hot mess. The formula is bland, with fatty alcohols, three kinds of ceramides, cholesterol, hyaluronic acid, dimethicone and petrolatum. It stings less than most creams on the market — I’m prone to stinging — and contains ingredients to help rebuild and reinforce the skin barrier. It’s probably a forever repurchase from me. I also love the jar with a pump on it packaging; the pump is super easy to use and it’s practical to be able to screw off the lid to get the remnants out of the container.

Soap & Glory The Righteous Butter Body Butter ($18 CDN | 300 mL)

If I’m not using a fragrance-free barrier-repairing kind of body moisturizer, I’m using one of the Soap and Glory options as a treat because I can actually tolerate them on my eczema prone body, as they have a rich emollient texture and contain fragrance that I love, that isn’t essential oil based, which poses the greatest problem for me personally. My skin can be a bit of a diva, evidently. It’s a warm citrusy floral scent that I find super comforting and the formula has shea butter, coconut oil, cocoa seed butter, glycerin and rosehip oil to help prevent trans epidermal waterloss and the itchy feeling from returning to my body skin. It’s a favourite for a reason. I also enjoy that it’s rich enough to actually make a difference and for me not to go through the tub so quickly.

Curlsmith Wash & Scrub Detox Pro-Biotic ($37.99 CDN | 250 mL)

Another one bites the dust; I’ve finished another tube of my favourite clarifying shampoo. It doesn’t contain traditional sulfates so it’s not overly drying or stripping but it does enough to keep my scalp from getting itchy and flaky and keeps my waves and loose curls looking great. Another bonus is that it doesn’t turn my hair into tangle city, as most clarifying shampoos do. It contains perlite to gently exfoliate the scalp (without real traditional scrub particles that can be irritating), probiotic ingredients to help strengthen the skin barrier — which is obviously a priority of mine after reading this post –, apple cider vinegar and gentler clarifying agents with the ability to remove silicones and heavy oils. It will be another repurchase for sure.

Briogeo Curl Charisma Rice Amino + Avocado Hydrating & Defining Hair Mask ($49 CDN | 236 mL)

Another long-term favourite of mine are these Briogeo masks and deep conditioners. This one was a primarily hydrating mask (that packed a punch despite being lightweight), with some protein, in the form of amino acids in the mix. Interestingly enough, it’s actually advertised as being protein free, despite the fact that there are amino acids high on the ingredient list, and scattered throughout; regardless, I don’t think it’s protein-rich enough to trigger alarm in those with a protein sensitivity. It’s moisturizing and hydrating, with wonderful slip that glides through the knottiest of strands (I can confirm this from experience) while being lightweight yet concentrated. It features sodium PCA, rice amino acids, avocado oil, castor seed oil, sweet almond oil, shea butter, linseed oil, chia seed oil, keratin amino acids, rice extract and hydrolyzed quinoa. I found after using that my curls had a bit of a boost, clumping nicely together. I’m currently using their original mask, but I would definitely consider picking up this one again.

Curlsmith Feather-Light Protein Cream ($35.99 CDN | 237 mL)

This was my second or third tube of what I would have to describe as my holy-grail curl cream. Despite its name, it’s a medium moisture but fairly lightweight curl cream with a hefty dose of protein. I’m onto another tube of this curl cream, as it’s reached backup status in my collection. It simultaneously enhances curls with some bounce, adds control and keep clumps defined and intact. It offers light buildable hold on its own, which makes it great for refreshes, using on its own or layering under a gel, as I do in my humid climate on my high porosity strands. It can give a bit of a fluffier look when used on it’s own, which I’ve grown to enjoy the texture and volume from at this point in my hair journey; this is less of a factor when paired with a harder hold gel. It uses sweet almond oil, hydrolyzed rice protein, hydrolyzed hemp seed extract and shea butter for a good protein-moisture balance on my fine, high porosity but abundant strands.

Curlsmith Curl Defining Styling Souffle ($55.99 CDN | 473 mL)

My go-to combination of stylers on any wash day that I know will give me great results is the previously mentioned cream in combination with this gel-souffle. It’s more of a medium weight gel, offering medium moisture, curl enhancement, humidity-resistance, medium-strong hold and good control. It’s a super concentrated product so this jumbo size squeeze-bottle lasts for months even on my thirsty high porosity waves and curls and it helps encourage my waves and loose curls into a more defined spiral-y shape and it helps my hair to last 3-4 days with minimal refreshing. It uses glycerin, babassu, irish moss, linseed extract, andiroba seed oil and avocado oil and is the most moisturizing gel that I’ve ever tried, without weighing down my fine waves and curls. Seeing as this is my most repurchased hair product of all time, it’s not shocking that I just opened another one of these jumbo-sized bottles for the warmer weather months…

What products have you finished up?
Maggie, x.

The Winter Favourites

There’s nothing I love reading, watching and writing more than a favourites post or video but doing them on a monthly basis has proven excessive for me. Happily, we’ve reached the point in my year to do my winter themed favourites. It was actually really difficult to edit myself down to this many and I can easily say these were the products I enjoyed using and relying on when I wasn’t at home, complaining of tiredness and overthinking.

The Inkey List Oat Cleansing Balm ($12.99 CDN | 150 mL)

I feel slightly ridiculous that I couldn’t narrow it down further than three cleansers, but when you have skin that hates surfactants and harsh cleansing like mine does, you really appreciate the good ones, as I have done. I’ve been loving this affordable fragrance-free cleansing balm. It removes makeup quite well (but requires more product than some makeup annihilating balms) and leaves the skin wonderfully hydrated and soothed. It uses sweet almond oil, oat kernel oil, candella wax and almond glycerides. I love how practical the tube packaging is — even though it can separate. I use it most nights to melt makeup and sunscreen happily and remove it after emulsifying with a microfibre cloth. It’s very gentle around my sensitive eye areas and is a gentle skin cleanser in its own right.

Kate Somerville Goat Milk Cleanser ($53 CDN | 120 mL)

This cleanser actually has enough delicious oil content to break down makeup and sunscreen without scrubbing or rubbing, but I actually enjoy it best as a treatment cleanser, or on the rare mornings I want to cleanse my face. It’s expensive but I honestly only use a little bit and would probably have never bitten the bullet if it wasn’t included in the Caroline Hirons Summer Kit. It contains fragrance but no essential oils and includes grapeseed oil, jojoba seed oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, goat milk, milk protein, lactic acid and honey as ingredient highlights. The texture is a nice cream that leaves my skin soothed, glowing and hydrated. I tolerate it well even on my eczema patches, although it can kind of burn under the eyes if used to remove makeup — but this is probably because I have eczema patches around my eyes. I’ve been using for months and months and I’m happily going strong. It helps with texture, dry patches, general dryness and sensitivity.

Cerave Hydrating Cream-to-Foam Cleanser ($17.99-$18.99 CDN | 355 mL)

I’ve been a long term devotee of Cerave’s traditional Hydrating Cleanser but I love this one even more. It has a creamier lotion texture that foams slightly — but in a non drying way — and features amino acids, salicylic acid and natural moisturizing factors along with their classic ceramides. Unlike the original cleanser (since its most recent reformulation), this never makes my uber-reactive skin sting and it leaves my skin moisturized and comfortable afterwards. It does contain a little bit of salicylic acid so I don’t tend to use it to remove eye makeup but it does remove makeup better than Cerave’s other cleansers. It’s a great cleanser especially for skin with an impaired barrier from using actives, mask wearing and the like. It’s soap-free of course and uses very gentle cleansing agents.

Cosrx Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence ($24.99 CDN | 100 mL)

This thicker gel texture more closely resembles a serum in my opinion, but I haven’t gone a day without applying it in months. It’s 96% snail mucin, along with betaine, sodium hyaluronate, panthenol, arginine and allantoin and serves as a fantastic humectant serum, with anti-inflammatory properties. It’s profoundly soothing on an impaired barrier, fights transepidermal water loss, plumps up the skin, aids in skin healing and helps to prevent and treat scarring. I find it helps fade pink marks left on my skin after a breakout or reaction in a more timely fashion while keeping my skin hydrated and soothed. The bottle is huge, too, so its excellent value for money. I know I included it in my last few favourites posts but I couldn’t help myself.

Neutrogena Bright Boost Gel Cream ($23.97-$34.99 CDN | 50 mL)

This is another repeat favourite of mine but I do love reaching for it as a mild daily chemical exfoliant in a lightweight cream vehicle. It acts as a humectant, formulated with mandelic acid, gluconolactone, acetyl glucosamine and squalane. It’s perfect for when my skin is feeling a bit too fragile for a heavy-duty acid toner but I still want the gentle resurfacing of an acid, along with the hydration of a humectant. It also has a pink sheen that’s nice and brightening, yet subtle.

Sunday Riley Juno Hydroactive Cellular Facial Oil ($95 CDN | 35 mL)

This winter, I got right back onto the facial oil bandwagon on a daily basis, applying this fragrance-free oil blend on my cheeks, around my chin and mouth and under my eyes, where I experience flaking and irritation, exacerbated by daily mask wearing. It has made a huge difference in the severity of my flaking, dry patches and radiance of my skin, when applied just before moisturizer. I’ve always found the combination of cold-pressed omega-rich oils anti-inflammatory and soothing. No matter how angry my skin has been, this oil doesn’t burn, sting, or have any sign of reaction.

Paula’s Choice Omega+ Complex Moisturizer ($35 US | 50 mL)

I’m onto my second container of this moisturizer this winter even though I’ve had plenty of others on rotation. It’s a lightweight whipped cloud cream that’s fragrance-free, kind of bland in the best way, and either super low on silicones or silicone-free and thus, never pills, even with the skincare layering I’ve been doing. It’s a beautiful comforting cream that works well as a barrier under a mask while sinking into the skin and leaving a demi-matte finish under makeup. It contains shea butter, omega-rich plant oils, fatty acids, amino acids, ceramides, an antioxidant or two and a bunch of skin-soothers. It’s great for an impaired skin barrier and generally angry skin.

REN Evercalm Ultra Comforting Rescue Mask ($63 CDN | 50 mL)

This mask is the only mask I’ve reached for with any sense of regularity, because it’s fantastic for skin that’s suffering with dermatitis, eczema, redness, soreness and any sort of irritation. It’s that one product that never stings — despite the fact that it contains fragrance including fragrance derived from essential oils — even during the throes of flaking painful skin that can barely even be touched with water without potent discomfort. Coincidentally, this is a favourite product to throw on after hours of mask wearing. It contains shea butter, a bunch of emollients, lactobacillus-derived probiotics, algae extract and an angel dusting of white mushroom extract. The product leaves a definite film to the skin but I don’t mind as I tend to rinse off or pat off excess or leave on when my skin is in need of dire help. After use, my skin is calmed, soothed, less reactive and definitely moisturized. I notice an immediate reduction in redness and inflammation when I use this and am able to follow with the regular steps of my skincare routine.

Cerave Itch Relief Cream ($27.99 CDN | 354g)

This winter, I had the delight of an experiencing a months long eczema flare. Applying creams like this one, loaded with shea butter, ceramides, hyaluronic acid, emollients such as petrolatum and dimethicone has helped keep my dry itchy legs and arms under control. What particularly helped about this formula is the 1% pramoxine hydrochloride, which relieves the unbearable itchiness that accompanies eczema with none of the side effects that ingredients like menthol have. This cream reminds me of the original cream formula but with an added richness and whipped texture from the addition of shea butter and the itch relief. When used with ointments on the individual patches of concern, this kept me from itching patches for long enough to let them heal.

Curlsmith Scalp Recipe Clarifying Scrub Shampoo ($37.99 CDN | 250 mL)

This shampoo not only is clarifying without ruining my waves and curls or turning my hair into a literal lion’s mane of tangles, but also has kept my scalp happy and not itchy, dry or flaky throughout the entire season. I tend to reach for this gentle exfoliating sulfate-free shampoo in between more standard shampoos. It uses perlite, a volcanic rock, for exfoliation rather than irritating beads, keeps my scalp soothed with probiotic ferments and clarifies without traditional sulfates. My scalp is super happy afterwards and all product build-up is removed, without that stripped feeling. It’s concentrated — so I still haven’t gone through the tube — and has a delicious subtly fruity spa scent. It also contains vinegar without smelling like vinegar.

Maybelline Superstay Ink Crayon in 20 Enjoy the View ($12.49 CDN)

While I’m certainly not wearing makeup everyday, I have been enjoying wearing it 2-3 times a week. When I have been actually reaching for a lip product, I’ve been playing with this warm kind of rusty rose colour. The formula is a comfortable semi-matte kind of finish that lasts well without being drying or clinging to dry patches. I’m not selling the colour either, but it’s incredibly flattering, adding colour to the face without actually being a bold lip. It also easily applies at full opacity and works nicely as a stain with lip balm on top for more of a subdued flush.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Sultry Eyeshadow Palette Vault ($86 CDN)

On the days I’ve been wearing makeup, I’ve enjoyed playing with eyeshadow. I think I’ve been reaching for this formerly limited edition palette the most. The formula is pigmented, buttery and a little bit powdery, and there’s a nice combination of spectacular metallic shades and practical matte shades of varying depths. Although this palette reads quite cool, I actually found it quite neutral on my warm undertones with a mixture of shades on both spectrums included in a neutral but not boring colour story. I love the mixture of different light-to-medium metallic shades to play with on the lid, of course I like the matte peach pop in the crease, and I love that the palette includes a matte black and matte chocolate brown with an impeccable formula. I like the shadows for an easy slap on kind of eye look but I love them for when I want a glitzier smoky eye. It’s kind of frustrating that the palette has to be bought in the vault form but I can’t complain, having missed out on it the first time around.

Christian Dior Miss Dior Le Parfum ($122 CDN | 40 mL)

I’m hesitant to include my staple scent over the colder months, as it — like all good things it seems — has been discontinued. It’s the warmer spicier big sister to Miss Dior in its standard version that captures some of the magic that previous iterations of the scent had for me. It’s not the kind of scent I would ordinarily expect to reach for in cooler months, spent mostly at home in casual attire but I learned that I love this heady scent applied lightly into clothing; it makes me feel cozy, sophisticated and put together. I get compliments when I wear it, especially when it has been applied to clothes days before — it has that kind of longevity. It’s a patchouli and rose scent with added warmth from amber and vanilla.

What were your winter staples?
Maggie, x.